Department

BSD ADM - Strategic Initiatives

About the Department

The University of Chicago biomedical enterprise houses three entities: the Biological Sciences Division (BSD), the University of Chicago Medicine (UCM), and the Pritzker School of Medicine. Collectively called UCM, we are one of the nation's leading academic medical institutions and have been at the forefront of discovery, education, and clinical care since 1927. Located 20 minutes south of downtown Chicago, our Hyde Park main campus provides a single environment for learning, world-renowned basic science and clinical research, and outstanding clinical care.

The BSD is the largest academic unit within the University. The BSD is comprised of faculty from ten basic science departments, 13 clinical departments, and several Centers and Institutes. The approximately 1,300 faculty and 3,000 staff members working in the BSD collaborate across the organization to achieve our Mission, Vision, and Values (MVV):

MISSION: As part of the University of Chicago, we pursue globally impactful solutions to seemingly unsolvable challenges. Through our rigorous research, innovative education, and comprehensive care and healing, we collaborate on life-changing advancements that create meaningful results for our community and the world, including a greater, more equitable future for all.

VISION: Together, we elevate the human experience with knowledge and health care.

VALUES:
• Commit to Excellence: We contribute our exceptional talents to all we do and empower the same spirit of excellence in others.
• Embrace Curiosity: We stay open to new ideas, champion diverse perspectives, and drive a culture of thoughtful risk-taking to deliver transformative innovation.
• Embody Equity: We identify systemic issues and then foster change to drive a more equitable environment inclusive of diverse people, ideas, and fields of science.
• Grow Together: We meaningfully collaborate with one another to create something bigger than we could ever achieve alone.
• Make a Difference: We lead with heart and compassion in all our interactions. We create positive change in our areas of influence, whether expanding scientific inquiry, developing the next generation of leaders, or healing our community.
• Take Ownership: We accomplish what we say we will and hold ourselves and one another accountable for our actions.

The MVV serves as our True North, charting our strategic plan for the next ten years and beyond. It is an exciting time to be a part of the University of Chicago and the BSD. Our team is helping to shape the future for our learners, staff, faculty, patients, and community.

Job Summary

Reporting to the Assistant Dean and Executive Director for Strategy and Analytics, the Senior Director leads complex operational and strategic analytical projects and serves as a senior analytics leader within the Biological Sciences Division (BSD). This role combines deep academic medical center financial and operational knowledge plus advanced data analytics skills and experience to design and deliver actionable insights that drive data-informed decision-making across the BSD. This transformative role will not only help define and lead the delivery of near-term solutions but will play a key role in planning and executing the long-term vision for BSD strategy and analytics.

Supervising a team of managers/analysts across several disciplines and partnering with colleagues across the medical center, the Senior Director leads and supports the creation of robust data reporting systems and capabilities for strategic planning, resource allocation, and budget/financial analysis. The Senior Director plays a guiding role in the creation and maintenance of the BSD 10-year financial plan and all aspects of the development and deployment of the A360 data warehouse query application and related Tableau reporting.

Responsibilities

Team Leadership and Development:

• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of managers and analysts, creating a culture of curiosity, continuous improvement and learning, and business impact.

• Foster cross-pollination of technical skills and business knowledge to enhance data extraction, analysis, and reporting.

• Build strong collaborative relationships across UChicago Medicine, academic and administrative units, and leadership to maximize insight sharing and alignment with Elevate 2035 and other organizational priorities.

Financial Analytics, Reporting & Strategic Insight:

• Design, develop, maintain, and improve increasingly sophisticated financial and operational models, analytic reports, dashboards, and data visualizations that monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) across multiple domains (HR/OAA, strategic planning, people metrics, compensation/incentive plans, clinical, research, and operational productivity).

• Partner with BSD executive leadership, department, and unit administrators to identify analytic needs, design reporting, ensure data integrity, reporting alignment, and transparency for maximum transformative impact.

• Deliver recurring and ad-hoc reporting across a wide range of topics and across multiple systems to support strategic decision-making and provide deep-dive analyses into key business drivers and trends.

• Develop and refine financial and operational models that integrate multiple data sources, enabling scenario planning, sensitivity analysis, and ROI evaluation.

• Troubleshoot analytic processes and identify inefficiencies in existing data workflows.

• Lead efforts to streamline, automate, and scale analytic outputs.

• Find and replace manual data collection/reporting processes with automated/systemic solutions.

• Validate data, create data definitions, and source new data fields and feeds for use in the central data warehouse (AADW) and/or A360 application. Work with technical teams and Executive Administrators to refine A360 modules.

• Champion new analytic ideas and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance data accuracy, accessibility, workflows, and business impact.

• Engage with and leverage AI tools to optimize financial work flows, analysis, and decision making.

• Develop training materials, process maps and SOPs, and other related documentation.

• Manage, mentor, and develop professional staff. Establish performance goals, allocate resources across team and projects.

• Partners closely with BSDIS to coordinate data warehouse source and query needs, application development framework, timing, and A360 and Tableau upgrades and optimization.

• Manages managers and professional staff. Establishes performance goals, allocates resources and assesses policies for direct subordinates.

• Develops departmental plans to maintain administrative data. Ensures that the data is accessible, easy-to-use, flexible, and suitable for various analytical purposes, including joint analyses across multiple domains and interactions across multiple systems.

• Performs other related work as needed.

Minimum Qualifications

Education:

Minimum requirements include a college or university degree in related field.

Work Experience:

Minimum requirements include knowledge and skills developed through 7+ years of work experience in a related job discipline.

Certifications:

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Preferred Qualifications

Education:

• Master’s degree in business, Data Analytics, Business Analytics, Finance, or a related field strongly preferred.

Experience:

• 7+ years of professional experience in financial analysis, data analytics, or related disciplines strongly preferred.

• Experience working in an academic medical center environment with responsibility for clinical, research, and education operations, budget and pro forma creation, financial and operational analysis, data analytics, and KPI dashboard development strongly preferred.

​Preferred Competencies

• Advanced financial modeling skills and experience manipulating large datasets.

• Advanced proficiency in Excel. Experience with data visualization tools (e.g., Tableau).

• Power BI), and programming languages such as R, Python, and/or SQL.

• Strong attention to detail, highly organized, timely, and responsive.

• Excellent interpersonal, written, presentation, and verbal communication skills.

• Experience leading teams and large projects, with a minimum of 5 years managing direct reports.

• Strong business acumen with the ability to align analytics to strategic priorities.

• Ability to challenge norms and drive change to improve outcomes.

• Experience with navigating cross-functional teams and building influence with diverse stakeholders across the technical, strategic, and operational sides of an academic medical center.

• Ability to manage multiple projects and meet tight deadlines under considerable pressure and during non-traditional hours, as needed.

• Ability to handle confidential information with discretion.

• Experience with Oracle, Orbit, Workday, Tableau, Smartsheet.

Working Conditions

• Office Environment.

• Weekend/Evening Hours: As needed.

Application Documents

• Resume (required)

• Cover Letter (preferred)

Job Family

Information Technology

Role Impact

People Manager

Scheduled Weekly Hours

40

Drug Test Required

No

Health Screen Required

No

Motor Vehicle Record Inquiry Required

No

Pay Rate Type

Salary

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FLSA Status

Exempt

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Pay Range

$150,000.00 - $250,000.00

The included pay rate or range represents the University’s good faith estimate of the possible compensation offer for this role at the time of posting.

Benefits Eligible

Yes

The University of Chicago offers a wide range of benefits programs and resources for eligible employees, including health, retirement, and paid time off. Information about the benefit offerings can be found in the Benefits Guidebook.

Posting Statement

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or expression, national or ethnic origin, shared ancestry, age, status as an individual with a disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or other protected classes under the law. For additional information please see the University's Notice of Nondiscrimination.

 

Job seekers in need of a reasonable accommodation to complete the application process should call 773-702-5800 or submit a request via Applicant Inquiry Form.

 

All offers of employment are contingent upon a background check that includes a review of conviction history.  A conviction does not automatically preclude University employment.  Rather, the University considers conviction information on a case-by-case basis and assesses the nature of the offense, the circumstances surrounding it, the proximity in time of the conviction, and its relevance to the position.

 

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